Many years ago we used to go away every summer with my brother and his family. My brother works in Hong Kong and he'd come back to UK every year with his wife and son, and the five of us would go away to Europe somewhere for a short break. Kiddo, was around ten back then, and it was nice for me to bond with him as I don't see him often. One year we went to Budapest in Hungary.
This particular trip was back in 2010 and is my only visit to the country. I have to pin it on Pinmapple to expand my global reach on the map. I can't remember the exact places we went, but I think we covered most of the popular landmarks as can be seen from the photos. That aside, I have a few interesting stories to tell about the trip.
AirBnb
This is without a doubt, the most stunning AirBnB I have stayed in, and to top it, it was very affordable. European buildings have this granduer that is lacking in most English buildings, and this one had the interior design looks to go with it.
| The is the corridor coming in from the main entrance of the building | Here is looking upwards to our apartment somewhere |
|---|---|
| This is the reception after coming through our apartment front door and leads to the living room | This is the living room looking into one of the bedrooms |
And this is the fancy kitchen
Heroes' Square jump
On one of the days, we went to Heroes' Square. This one of the most famous squares in the city and commenmorates the founders of Hungary.
Kiddo had this thing about doing his signature flash jump when he goes away on holiday. Back in those days, our mobile phone cameras weren't that clever and didn't have the burst function where you can take multiple shots in one go and choose the best frame. Kiddo was very particular about getting a good shot, so the four of us grown ups had to take photos of him jumping till he was satisfied. Often he would get so tired of jumping and still not be happy with the shots, but we would be happy to go along and help him out. Afterall, he was the one jumping not us! We were just standing there taking photos!!!
Star struck
One evening we were wandering around town before dinner. We passed by a hotel and saw a crowd waiting outside. With time to kill, we decided to hang around to see what the fuss was all about. Suddenly a guy appeared from the hotel and people got all excited. I don't know this guy, but if you're a Formula 1 fan, and watching the races in 2010, you may recognise him. I've since googled him, and if I'm right, this is Vitaly Petrov, the first Russian driver in the F1 races. In turns out, we were in town in the same week at the Budapest F1 races.
After Petrov left, the crowd still hanged around. It was still too early for dinner, so we decided to stick around for a bit longer. After a little while, the crowd started to get all excited again, and the excitement was greater than before. Another guy appeared from the hotel, and this time I recognised him. Lewis Hamilton wasn't such a big shot back in 2010, but famous enough to be recognized by many, including myself. I got a few close up shots of him as you would when you're near a famous person. And yes, of course I knew I was going to post them on the Hive blockchain 12 years later, so I was well prepared 😀
The most elegant McDonalds in the world
I have a policy of not eating at McDonalds when I go away unless I really have to. Budapest was one of the few places I made an exception. When Lonely Planet describes the McDonalds at Nyugati Train Station in Budapest as the most elegant in the world, I figured it was worth to take a look.
We decided to go there for lunch and told kiddo we were going to take him somewhere really beautiful for lunch. All morning, he kept asking us where we were going, but we refused to tell him. We figured we'd give him a surprise. Maybe we kept him in suspense for too long and the built up the hype so much, when we arrived, kiddo was so upset that it was just a McDonalds. Of course, you can't expect a 10 year old to appreciate architecture and beauty! Kiddo threw a tantrum and refused to order anything to eat. It was so funny!!
Travelling with a kid is fun, especially when they're not your own. When they throw a tantrum or become a pain in a butt you can ignore them, let the parents deal with them and continue to enjoy your holiday. Kiddo was ok over the years, and I really enjoyed spending time with him and watching him mature each year. This year he graduates from university. It's been a few crap years for kiddo as he couldn't really experience university life as it should be. His parents can't even come over to his graduation ceremony because they're in Hong Kong. When your kid graduates from Cambridge Universiy, and you can't go to his graduation ceremony, that really sucks!!! Luckily Aunty Pauline is always there for him. I'm so proud of him and can't wait to see him soon.